Harvoni Ad: "Let's Go" dazzle the public into buying our product

This ad for Harvoni, which I guess is supposed to be a treatment for Hepatitis, is a good example of how all drug commercials function.  So I'm going to pick on it, even though I could have used any of a hundred commercials for any of a hundred medications to make the same point.

Like all big pharma ads, this one includes smiling people moving in slow motion, doing something that has absolutely nothing to do with their condition but which is supposed to illustrate the simple joy of living or provide a metaphor for hope or life or promise or some such poetic treacle.  We see a crowd of zombies who look like they just walked out of the Kingdom Hall walking across a field before watching lanterns float into the night sky. 

There's zero context- why are they doing this?  Do people do this?  I thought this was a Japanese thing- do these people look Japanese?  Is the drug turning them Japanese I really don't think so?

Meanwhile, the dramatic music swells just in time to at least partially drown out the list of potentially fatal side effects casually being read out by the narrator.  And this is why you never hear ads for powerful, dangerous drugs on the radio- it's because the radio is an auditory medium.  There's no way to distract you from hearing about all those awful side effects.  Notice also that the side effects are never listed on the screen- the only words we ever see are the name of the drug and pointless, distracting lines like "I Let Go" and "I Am Cured" which are being spoken anyway.  Oh,  and a brief claim as to the drug's success record.  Seems like the side effects are kind of more important than all that- but the makers of these ads don't want you to note the side effects. Look at the glowing lanterns and smiling people!  Can't do this on the radio.

These ads are all masterpieces of glitz and showy distraction which never have anything do with the actual drug and everything to do with trying to convince your brain that using the drug will lead to a higher level of satisfaction with your life.  In other words, commercials for powerful, chemical-altering drugs have exactly the same message as ads for cars, phones, fast food and detergent.  Scary, no?

Sexist Crud from Groupon

Let's imagine that this ad features a thirtysomething guy sitting by his pool telling us that he's "totally on" with his much younger, and clearly disinterested, "pool girl" before barking at her to acknowledge his presence.  Yeah, that would so not cause problems today. 

What is it with this meme featuring women lusting after the pool boy?  That bit is so old it's got moss on it, besides being totally retrograde these days.  Not to mention that it doesn't advance the cause of selling this service one inch.  So what the hell did I just watch?

(Oh and BTW I guess I'm supposed to know who this woman is, and I'm very, very proud that I don't.) 

Prager U continues to get everything wrong

The pretentiously titled "Prager U" channel- which is, again, not a University but rather a forum for right-wing radio hack Dennis Prager's narrow-minded viewpoints and those of his friends- is at it again, this time trying to explain to us that even if we aren't sure if there is a god we should just believe anyway because beliefs have benefits that non-belief does not.

Today's guest choad starts by asserting that "if god exists, then the universe didn't just evolve by chance, but by deliberate design."  There are at LEAST two fallacies in that one sentence.  First, even if there IS a god, you need to prove that it "deliberately designed" the universe.  Proof that a god exists wouldn't prove anything about it's works or it's intentions.  Second- and related- is that buzzword "evolve."  I'm guessing this idiot is about to be Clueless Idiot #234897 on the internet to confuse Evolution with Abiogenesis. Let's see.

"There's an artist behind this incredible work of art, this big and beautiful world."  Oh, I'm not sure I can do this after all, not if you're going to jump right from a binary argument to the Argument from Analogy.  This planet is a "work of art," and all art must have an artist, therefore god? This world is "big and beautiful?" Big compared to what?  Beautiful compared to what?  This guy is going to use the phrase "fine-tuned" to describe a universe in which life as we know it can exist almost nowhere, isn't he?

Never mind, this guy goes completely off the rails in the very next paragraph and it's clear that his actual argument is the Argument from Emotion.  We're "living in a story" and the story must "have a happy ending, eventually...maybe not in our lifetime, but it must, for as surely as god exists.." which you haven't proven, "Professor," but to be fair you made it very clear early on that you had not intention of even attempting to prove it, just to convince us that belief was beneficial without proof.

He then goes into the Argument of Evil problem- evil exists because god allows it to exist, because of Free Will, which is a gift to all of us except Adam and Eve of course who were punished along with all of their decendents, forever, for exercising it never mind that they did not have knowledge of good and evil before making that "choice."  "God will reconcile all injustices in the end"- that would be the god you haven't proven exists, let alone gives a damn what's going on, and as we're only a minute in to this four minute video I'm sure you're going to be explaining very soon why god doesn't stop child rapists, cancer, hurricanes, etc BEFORE they happen rather than allowing all of this suffering and then "setting things right" in some distant future?

I'm a minute in.  One. Minute. In.  And this guy has already buried his audience with baseless assertions and empty promises.  My original plan was to tackle this one in four or five parts, but I just can't see myself going back to it just to get to the inevitable "if god doesn't exist there is no ultimate justice and that would be unfair therefore you should believe god exists so you don't get the sads about injustice" claptrap.  So I'm just going to leave it here.  You got ten minutes of my time, Prager U.  Can you sign my drop sheet please?

Grammarly: Because we can't write OR speak anymore

I'm not sure why the viewers are treated to the sight of this moron talking with food in his mouth for the majority of the commercial, but I guess that's just the way Grammarly rolls these days.  I'm also not sure why this disgusting slob has any friends, let alone one close enough to went him to give a wedding toast (you'd think that honor would go to someone capable of giving a thirty-second speech without spending hours with a laptop and a Fix Your Elementary School Level Errors App.)  And I certainly have no idea how the American Educational System failed so miserably that there is now an actual customer base for a program designed to save it's users from being exposed as the illiterate morons they are, or why the groom at this wedding would expect anything more from the hairy douchenozzle standing next to him during the ceremony.

Very likely, the cretin's speech will be greeted with comments like "who wrote that for you, it sure didn't sound like you I mean it included words of more than one syllable?"  Maybe he could make it sound more authentic by jamming some food into his mouth after every sentence.

BTW, the comment section for this ad is blocked.  Gee, I wonder why?

Napoleon Grills salutes the Upgrade

When I saw this guy standing next to his $100,000 car parked next to his $2 million dollar house, I thought that when he said he was ready for an upgrade it meant it was time to ditch the spouse and move on to the trophy wife.

Then it got weird- he walked past his Olympic-sized backyard swimming pool and his Clearly Not Trophy Wife before congratulating himself on his purchase of a Napoleon Grill.  Not Trophy Wife gives the guy who provided the massive house and swimming pool a condescending eyeroll before bonding with equally ungrateful daughter.  They seem to be congratulating eachother for being clever, or something, when all they've actually done is provide some level of justification when Daddy completes the whole upgrade thing and replaces his wife with someone roughly his daughter's age- you know, someone who will look much better in a bathing suit next to that awesome pool.

Hilarious As Seen on TV Arctic Air Commercial

Oh my god these ads are sooooo very cheesy, I have to believe that the same company makes every late night commercial out there.  It just doesn't matter if they are for Eagle Eyes Sunglasses, Magic Tomato or Upside Down Banana trees or plastic moving parrots complete with cage for some reason- it's got to be the same company with a trademark on this level of in-your-face oversell.

This one is for something called the "Arctic Air Conditioner," which claims to both cool and "purify" the air which is suffocating the people populating the advertisement.  Look, you could turn on the AC but that will put you in the poorhouse.  You could turn on that massive fan but that's just going to blow hot air at you, don't do that.  You could just lie around the house with a wet towel on your head.  Or maybe you could stop dressing like it's fifty degrees in your home, that's not suggested but the thought did pop into my brain while watching this.

Or, you could buy a "portable" (capable of being unplugged and moved into another room means "portable" for the purposes of this advertisement) air conditioner which is basically just a fan in a box which blows the air through the water you fill it with.  Oh wait that's not quite true, it's also a nightlight with five "mood color lights" which I have to admit is kind of cool, but still doesn't justify the $40 price tag, and I don't care if I CAN get another one Just Pay Extra.  It's a fan in a box and that's all it is.  $10 tops at the Dollar Store.  $40?  Sorry, no- and still no even when you try to con me into thinking it's cheaper by cutting the cost into "two easy payments" and giving me another one for a "little extra."

And what's with the special effects that make it look like the fan in a box is "radiating" temperature-reducing cooling rays?  They look exactly like the effects used to demonstrate the efficiency of Magic Ears hearing aids and plug-in vermin repellents.  It's a FREAKING FAN in a FREAKING BOX which blows the air through water.  Why do they make it look like it's sending a distress call to Aquaman?

I do love these ads, though.  Whichever company is making them- please, keep it up.  I can't get enough of these Frustrated By Life's Little Annoyances people and their delight at the relief they get from your weird junk.  They sure make maintaining this blog easier.

Another FUNNY Dunkin Donuts Commercial that's FUNNY BECAUSE LOOK

Hey everybody, I'm a bit too busy to do a post today so I asked Frito Pendejo from the film Idiocracy to do a guest appearance on the blog and write today's commentary.  Take it away, Frito!

"This Dunkin Donuts Commercial, like ALL Dunkin Donuts Commercial, is wicked funny even hilarious but for totally different reasons than the others are, that just shows how smart the Dunkin Donuts Commercials people are!

This one is fun for LOL so many reasons!  First, because there's this really really old guy sitting on a bench who is so OLD LOL that it takes a half an hour for him to get his food to his face ROTFLMAO I bet he hasn't had anything hot to eat in maybe like thirty years!  Plus check out that look in his face OMIGOD CLASSIC it's so obvious that he's got dementia or some other really really FUNNY old person disease, he probably doesn't even know what planet he's on MY RIBS ARE TOTALLY SPLITTING NOW.  And don't even get me started on how long he's been sitting there I mean once these guys sit down you can bet they never get up without some kind of weird chair assist thing OLD PEOPLE AND THEIR MOBILITY ISSUES OMIGOD THERE OUGHT TO BE A SHOW ABOUT THEM I WOULD SO WATCH!  I bet he lost control of his bowels hours ago LOL!!

And as if that's not enough hilarity for one VERY VERY FUNNY Dunkin Donuts Commercial, a disease-ridden rat with wings swoops down and steals the guy's food I ALMOST DIED.  I guess it might be a little sad if that meant the old guy is not going to have anything to eat now, but don't worry the young woman sitting next to him replaced the sandwich with another one 'cause you see the point is that it's buy one get one free or two for $2 or something I don't know didn't really pay attention 'cause too busy focusing on the REALLY FUNNY OLD MAN AND HIS PROBLEMS!!

Thanks Dunkin Donuts for another SUPER-FUNNY Ad I just HAD to share with everybody!  Made my weekend (how f--ig sad is THAT?)  Now I'm gonna go get myself some Dunkin Coffee 'cause this ad so put me in the mood for it and a sandwich too, well done!"

Honey's vision of the Good Life is really weird

During the 9th hour of this friendless, disgusting loser's marathon binge-watching of Game of Thrones, her stomach suddenly reminded her that she had not budged from the couch except to use the toilet (because couch-toilets won't be widely available until sometime next year) and that she really should consume some calories before the rest of her body goes the way of her brain somewhere around Hour 4.

The kitchen is in the next room, but that's All The Way Over There and besides she hasn't been outside to see if Peapod made her grocery delivery and the porch is Even Farther Away, so she reaches for the laptop and starts looking for a good deal on a pizza.  Turns out that she's not just lacking in a life or friends or any interest in getting her pathetic ass off that couch- she's also kind of short on money, because instead of just going to LocalPizza.com she has to hunt around for a coupon first. 

Meanwhile, she's getting REALLY hungry.  I mean, just listen to her stomach.  I mean that.  Listen to it.  I had to, so you do too.

In the end, this twat somehow managed to get to the front door when the pizza showed up- I'm sure she was totally put out that the delivery guy didn't just bring it into the living room and shove the first piece into her mouth, but maybe she made an arrangement with him so he will next time.  And the commercial ends with us getting to see her pig face smeared with tomato sauce as the population of Idiocracy has a big belly laugh over all of this because OMIGOD That Is So Me Sometimes.

After she's consumed a few slices, it's back to bleaching her brain for another hour or so, or until the carb and sugar infusion puts her into a semi-comatose state, right there on the couch.  Tomorrow she wakes up in dirty, stained clothes, stuck to the cushions by her own perspiration, next to a box of cold, stale, half-eaten pizza swimming in it's own bacteria.  Yep, she's living the dream, all right.  Thanks, Honey!

I am not a good person, which is why I'm going to keep picking on this Verizon Fios thing

Hey look everybody, it's the squishy blob of protoplasm currently employed as a spokesomething by Verizon Fios!  Seriously, though, I don't like being mean- but what the hell is WITH this kid?

It's bad enough that he sounds like he's sucking on marbles and he looks like leftover genetic material from a Science Fair experiment gone horribly wrong, but what makes it truly horrible is his endless pimping for a crappy internet service devoted to keeping us glued to our electronic devices 24/7.

So I have only two questions for this thing-

1.  Have you ever made a friend other than online, or do your fellow gamers labor under the false impression that they are playing against a fellow human being?

2.  Do you get your raw fish treat as soon as the shoot is over, or do you have to flap your flippers and bark some squeaky code first?

More fun from the Verizon Fios Gnome

Seriously, this creepy kid is devoting his entire life to judging other people's online entertainment equipment?  WTF is that all about? How much is Verizon Fios paying him to be the most annoying, nosy little brat in the neighborhood?

He's so freaking obnoxious in his whoring for Fios that I'm not even going to get triggered over the little girl's "it better" response to the question about a woman's new setup's ability to provide endless electronic entertainment to all the kids on the block.  Personally, I'd rather NOT own the house that is a kid magnet because it's the Place to Be when you want to turn your brains into puddles of warm pudding watching television or "surfing"* the internet.  "It better?" Hey kid, you're threatening to pull a little hissy fit if your connection isn't up to your standards?  I suggest you re-evaluate your position in this family.  See, you're a child.  You don't pay the bills and you don't make the decisions.  Want to waste your life watching tv?  You can start doing that the moment you move out.

We desperately need an SNL parody of these ads which include the neighbors just telling this nasty little jerk to just f--k off and report back to the science lab he escaped from.  Yes, I went there.  No, I'm not going apologize.  This kid is WEIRD.

*Actual surfing is exercise.  Looking for stuff to watch on tv is not.  So, it's not surfing. 

This Edward Jones Investment Woman sure knows how to reel in the next generation

So this thirtysomething guy walks into an Edward Jones Brokerage office to meet with the woman who has been handling his parents' money for years.  The parents have been talking to her for years about their son, no doubt mentioning on more than one ocassion that he has a decent job and a wife and family but has shown very little interest in planning for the future.

Finally, the son has been guilted into visiting with Mommy and Daddy's investment fund manager.  The very first thing she does is let him know that she's got at least some of the backstory.  The very first thing HE does is let her know that he's basically still just a little boy whose parents have been nagging him to do at least a LITTLE thinking about tomorrow and how maybe buying a house and establishing a college fund for his son just MIGHT be something he should be looking into.

Edward Jones lady lets the son know that she's really not all that interested in what Mommy and Daddy think (I really doubt that's what she told them when she was urging them to get their son to give her a call.)  Never mind that house and college stuff, what does Son want for the future?

For the sake of this guy's wife and son, I kind of hope that he ultimately puts aside his pride and admits that yeah, actually, his parents are spot on with their ideas of what he should be doing now that he has a wife and a kid.  Especially that whole college fund thing.  But what if he doesn't, and the next thing out of his mouth is "that's so cool, because what I REALLY want is to take a couple of years off to find myself in Tibet and then get a kick-ass dirt bike for the weekends.  I figure my kid will get a scholarship?"  How does Edward Jones I'm Really Interested In What You Want Never Mind Your Parents lady say to that?

I don't think it would have been SO bad for this woman to reply to his opening statement with "yes, a college fund is really important, even if you had to be told that by your parents."  Because it kind of is regardless of who said it first, right?

Oh seriously bite me, Mazda

If the last frame of this noxious dumpster fire of an ad doesn't leave you wanting to punch someone, you are much more tolerant, calm person than I am.  Because I didn't just want to punch the guy spreading his arms out in a "I own the universe 'cause check out my LookAtMeMobile" gesture- I wanted to punch him, knock him down, and roll him off the nearest cliff.  And then send his car down after him.

You have the right to be proud of an accomplishment like climbing a mountain with a heavy bag on your back.  You do not have the right to feel the same way for purchasing a trinket with four wheels and a sound system that makes people even more shallow than you turn and stare as you roar past, dicktard.

All of this "Feel Alive By Driving This Car" bilge is even worse if you watch it without sound, as I originally did.  Because without sound you focus on the smug, cocky-for-no-reason jackanapes who populate the ad.  These people are all doing things that really ought to make them "feel alive"- hiking, cardioboxing,etc- and yet they don't quite achieve actual "Alive-ness" until they blow 80 grand on an impractical automobile which says nothing to the world except "I've got money to burn, and charity begins at home, with me." 

Dunkin Donuts Commercials are FUNNY! REALLY!

See, it's FUNNY because the disgusting coworker reached out and took food right out of the hand of the food's owner and ate it and proclaimed it good!  The disgusting coworker clearly dominates the office- he's probably the mentally ill son of the boss.  I sure hope so- because that would make it EVEN MORE FUNNY!

And the fat doofus who got his food stolen- see, it's FUNNY because it was a two-to-one deal and he has another sandwich getting cold in a desk drawer, so he has no problem losing half of his artery-hardening breakfast to the obnoxious bully who clearly runs and terrorizes the office (again, because he's almost certainly the mentally ill son of the boss.)

It's FUNNY no matter HOW you look at it!  Thanks Dunkin Donuts!

Toxic, Unfunny Sexism from DirecTV

I guess it's supposed to be funny that this insane woman is throwing her boyfriend's belongings out the window, being a total jackass in front of an entire neighborhood which is really really wishing that it was HER who was being evicted because they are sick to death of worrying about what the Emotionally Unstable Nutcase they have to warn their kids to avoid is going to do next.

The guy in this ad is the really lucky one here- he's getting out of a toxic relationship before he managed to foolishly codify it with a marriage license and all the legal problems that could cause down the road.  I don't see any kids around, and I'm going to assume from the "lighthearted" tone of this crud that she didn't toss them out any windows offscreen.  So when he's done being embarressed in front of all the gawking, horrified and thoroughly disgusted neighbors, he can just walk away and get on with his life.  He should start by ending his subscription to the LookingForAbusiveUnstableLunatics dating site.

Meanwhile, just try to imagine the outrage if you reverse the sexes here.  Let me know how long it takes for your brain to explode.

The commercial ends with Insane Woman settling down to watch some tv to kill time before the police arrive.  Warms the heart.

Chevy's "Real People, Not Actors" tragic outtake

I could have spent an entire post complaining about the monstrosity of an LA house this SUV is parked in front of.  Seriously, what the hell- is that George Lucas' house, or what?  Who lives here?  Why did we come here to make this ad?  What the serious hell is going on here?

But it gets much, much worse- after today's group of "Real People, Not Actors" bleat their orgasmic appreciation of the crap Chevrolet sitting in front of them, we get a stunningly pointless punchline- family I guess they have not seen in agest is sitting inside, presumably waiting for them to get done slobbering their lines so they could be released from their freaking tombs and step outside into the lovely driveway above Los Angeles.

What happens next isn't exactly clear- everybody's just walking away from the house and the SUV.  Where are the going?  Are they being escorted to the bottom of the hill so they can consult the bus schedules after a quick "thank you" handshake from the Chevy spokeschoad?  They seem to be making a pretty quick exit- did Lucas not give them permission to use his house and driveway as the backdrop for this ad?  I'd think grandma might need a drink of water or to use the toilet after all that time in the Chevy waiting for the door to open....

Oh, what's the "outtake" I mentioned in the title? Well, turns out that the family that emerges from the SUV at the end is completely CGI'd.  The original family died of heat exhaustion sitting in that damn thing waiting for the door to open, afraid that if they just gave up and opened it themselves they'd ruin their chances to be on the TV.  Poor grandma,being brought to the airport and put on a plane and flown to Los Angeles to see relatives only to die in the back seat of a crummy Chevy SUV while her granddaughter drooled all over her tomb.

Hey Google, Who's Making Who Here?

My original take on this commercial along the lines of another "ugh we are becoming more and more helpless and dependent on this stupid technology by the second."  It worked better with the long (tv)  version, which includes a woman almost killing herself in her own home because she "can't" find the light switch Thank Heavens For Google Now You Can Just Tell Google To Turn on the Lights you Used to Have to Turn On All By Yourself Like Your Ancient Ancestors Did and two jackasses in a car bleating "I'm not gonna do it" which I guess means it was never going to get done before the opportunity to ask Magic Listening Voice to do it.

Because this is a (mercifully) short version of that noxious waste dump of an ad, I'll go in another direction:  Google, Alexa etc. are, in fact, the Fifth Column of Capitalism, welcomed into our homes disguised in the irresistable trappings of Convenience.  Every time we bleat a request or command into one of these things we pretend are serving us, we are adding to our electronic ID being compiled by Corporate America.  What we like to watch, what we eat, when we are home, when we are in our cars, the names and phone numbers of our friends, the web sites we visit, the medications we take- every. Single. Scrap. of information we share with our "Google Assistant" is being shared with the world.

Maybe most of us don't give a damn anymore- we're constantly taking selfies and lovingly editing them with our $1000 cameras before posting them everywhere, we're telling pollsters that we "don't care" if the government reads our emails or listens to our phone calls because "If I'm not doing anything wrong I've got nothing worry about."  So if someone wants to learn all about me through my barked commands at the Alexa or Google device I've got sitting in my house, well, at least I don't have to dial or go online to get a pizza, and I'll never trip in the dark again so there's that, too.

Do Super Beta Prostate pills come with steak knives or hearing aids?

I'm dealing with the radio verson of this commercial on XM Classic Radio every few minutes, so now you have to too.  You're welcome.

The radio version really targets the middle-aged, asking again and again if they're "frustrated" that they have to "pee so often."* The announcer uses the word "pee" so much I'm surprised he doesn't break into snickering and giggling at some point in the ad.  Is the word "urinate" hard to pronounce?  Do the makers of Beta Prostate think that middle aged people won't know what it means?  Or do they think midde-aged people will giggle appreciatively at the word "pee" too?

Anyway, on to this product, which I guess is endorsed by Larry King (as if that means anything- what over-the-counter miracle "medication" ISN'T endorsed by Larry King?)  It's all about the symptoms, people, and this stuff "may" be effective in dealing with those symptoms.  You can get it by calling a toll-free number or going online, both of which are a lot easier than making an appointment with an actual doctor who might give you an examination and maybe, you know, find the CAUSE and treat THAT.

Which might be significant.  Because problems with the prostate are no joke.  I seem to remember that there's a form of cancer involving the prostate- what was that called again?

But never mind that.  What you don't know won't hurt you.  Be like the idiots who pop two Aleve a day, every day, to deal with regular, nagging pain.  Or the "this is nothing if I treat it like nothing" living-in-denial dopes who wrap copper around their aching knees.  If you don't go to the doctor, you can't be diagnosed with something serious.  So stay away from the doctor and stick with home "remedies" like this crap.  Keep handing Larry King your money.  Those trophy wives don't come cheap, and the divorces are even pricier.

*In case you wanted to give credit to XM Radio for picking its commercial spots wisely, I am also constantly assaulted with ads for Channel 43, which sounds like a very loud modern "music" channel targeted to angry illiterates in the 16-25 range, so there's that, too.  I'm sure devotees to Classic Content Radio will rush over to Angry Oppressed Millionaire Rap Channel 43 as soon as Life with Riley and Lux Radio Theater is over.

"Life Awaits?" LIFE AWAITS????

Rage....rising.....

Seriously, stop showing me this crap on tv, please.  The LAST thing I really need in my life right now is ads featuring grinning, already-have-pretty-much-everything millenials checking out the benefits of a g-d d--ned "Liferoom."  You know, it's just a thing to park between your million-dollar McMansion and the pool- or perhaps to enhance your view of the f--ng marina.

I hate absolutely everybody right now.

Just for fun: Space Sticks and 70s weight loss gimmicks!

1.  The special effects at the beginning of this ad are AMAZING!  It's like they have a camera on the moon!  How did they do that??

2.  They don't tell you in the ad, but the only way to really wash these things down was with a cold glass of Tang.  Tang and Space Sticks for lunch= you're an astronaut, ready to build that colony on the moon before the 1980s are over!



And here's mom's version of Space Sticks.  Except that my mom bought them for ME because they were something I would actually eat if she packed them for my school lunch (sandwiches got traded away- I could never eat packed sandwiches when I was a kid for some reason.)  I'm not sure why eating them constituted "revenge" against cheesecake and other sweets, but whatever- remember, revenge is an edible plastic wafer best served cold!  You go girl! Sister Power!

(BTW, this woman must be in her late-sixties by now.  I wonder if she ever gave up the fake food and learned to keep her weight down through diet and exercise, or switched to that other "proven weight control device" popular in the 1970s, cigarettes?)